For Long, one of the most renowned big wave surfers of this generation, the incident was life-changing. At the time, he moved on quickly and continued to enter big wave events, reaching World No. 6 on the BWWT rankings and earning industry accolades at the annual XXL Awards. In recent months, however, he's been discussing Cortes Bank in more detail, both in terms of what happened and the emotional growth that came after.

Greg Long Previews Pico Alto

Former BWWT champion Greg Long talks about the daunting break off the coast of Peru.

Long has continued competing in big wave contests, including the Billabong Pico Alto, which ran for one epic day in July. Hawaiian Makua Rothman won the event as a wildcard; it was his first event on the BWWT.

The second half of the BWWT season runs from October 15 to February 28, with three possible events during that time. Potential contests in the Northern Hemisphere include the Todos Santos Pro in Mexico, the Punta Galea Challenge in Basque Country, Spain, and the Pe'ahi Pro in Maui, Hawaii.